Who is Dmitry Bivol?
Russian professional boxer Dmitry Yuryevich Bivol was born in Tokmak, then-Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union, on 18 December 1990, making Sagittarius his zodiac sign. He’s been the World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight champion since 2017, while he’s also known for having competed at the 2013 World Combat Games, winning gold in the 81kgs category.
Dmitry today ranks as the third best active boxer in the world, according to BoxRec, #6 according to the boxing magazine “The Ring”, and #5 according to Transnational Boxing Rankings Board; ESPN and Boxing Writers Association of America rank him #7. BoxRec, ESPN and “The Ring” also rank Dmitry as the best light heavyweight boxer in the world.
Education and early life
Dmitry was raised in Kyrgyzstan alongside his sisters Veronica and Olesya, by their Korean-born mother who was raised in Soviet Kazakhstan, and Russian father who’s originally from Soviet Moldova; the family moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia when Dmitry was 11.
He was six when he began boxing, and his father chose Vyacheslav Sharapov as his mentor. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the family’s move to Saint Petersburg, Dmitry’s parents decided that he should focus on his studies and stop taking boxing lessons; the teenager then secretly enrolled at a sports club.
After Dmitry’s father found out that he was still practicing boxing, he came to respect his passion and helped him join the Palace of Pioneers, one of the best boxing organizations in Russia. Dmitry was trained by Nikolai Isaev, who claimed to have seen a champion in Dmitry, and he went on to win several junior competitions.
Dmitry matriculated from local high school in 2009, then didn’t attend college.
Career beginnings
Dmitry began winning against much older boys as an amateur boxer, and went on to win two junior U17 level world championships.
He competed in the 2008 Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) Youth World Boxing Championship, winning bronze in the middleweight category. Dmitry won in the light heavyweight category of the Russian National Amateur Boxing Championship in both 2012 and 2014, and ended his amateur career with 268 wins and just 15 losses.
Going professional
Dmitry had his first professional bout in November 2014, and defeated his first six opponents via knockout. Some of his sparring partners at the beginning of his professional career were Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, Jean Pascal and Egor Mekhontsev; although he lived in Saint Petersburg, he trained for boxing in Southern California (USA).
He became the WBA interim light heavyweight champion on 21 May 2016, after defeating previously undefeated Felix Valera via unanimous decision; Dmitry knocked out Robert Berridge in the fourth round to defend his title on 23 February 2017, and defended it again against Samuel Clarkson on 14 April 2017, knocking him out in the fourth round.
He defeated Cedric Agnew in a non-title match on 17 June 2017, knocking him out in the fourth round.
Dmitry became the WBA light heavyweight champion after the title had been vacated by Badou Jack, and defended it against Trent Broadhurst on 4 November 2017; Dmitry knocked out Trent in the first round.
He faced Cuban professional boxer Sullivan Barrera on 3 March 2018, and still today believes this match to have been one of the hardest he’s had in his career; Dmitry knocked out Sullivan in the 12th (final) round, and then praised him for his boxing skills.
He defended his title against Isaac Chilemba on 4 August 2018, via unanimous decision after 12 rounds; Dmitry was then to defend the title against Jean Pascal on 24 November 2018, but the match was cancelled because of Jean’s father’s death.
He faced Joe Smith Jr. on 9 March 2019, winning via unanimous decision.
Dmitry knocked out Gilbert Lenin Castillo in the sixth round on 12 October 2019, and then faced the new challenger Craig Richards on 1 May 2021; Dmitry won via unanimous decision. He then defeated Umar Salamov via unanimous decision on 11 December 2021, and won against Canelo Alvarez on 7 May 2022, also via unanimous decision.
Most recently, on 5 November 2022, Dmitry faced another challenger Gilberto Ramirez, also defeating him via unanimous decision.
Love life and wife
Dmitry’s trying his best to keep his wife Ekaterina Bivol and their two sons away from the media’s attention, but some details about his family are still known.
He and Ekaterina married in a private ceremony on 17 July 2013, attended by their closest friends and family members; it’s believed that the two met at a gym in 2007, but this remains unconfirmed. Ekaterina gave birth to their first son Miron Bivol on 30 November 2014, and their second son Nikon Bivol followed on 17 February 2017.
Dmitry hasn’t shared other details regarding his dating history, and Ekaterina’s believed to be his first love; he’s married to Ekaterina Bivol as of June 2023, and they have two sons together.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Close to 700,000 people are following Dmitry on Instagram today, and he’s posted 770 pictures and videos, with most of these being in one way or the other related to boxing.
He’s passionate about travelling and has been all around the world, mostly thanks to boxing; Dmitry’s favorite city is still Saint Petersburg.
His favorite season is winter, as he enjoys skiing and snowboarding high up in the mountains.
Dmitry works out on a daily basis, and follows a strict diet.
He loves Japanese culture, and is a huge fan of Samurais.
Dmitry loves to watch National Basketball Association (NBA) games, and one of his favorite professional basketball players is Shaquille O’Neal.
He’s a fan of popular British actor Tom Hardy, and some of Dmitry’s favorite movies include “Stuart: A Life Backwards”, “Mad Max: The Wasteland”, and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Dmitry’s age is 32. He has brown eyes and hair, is 6ft (1.83m) tall and weighs around 175lbs (79kgs).
Dmitry’s net worth’s been conservatively estimated at over $1.5 million, as of June 2023.
ncG1vNJzZmiamaS0s63PobCpnZSerm%2B70aBmoaenYra0edGuqqyhkaN6o7vXnqlmnJ2ewbPFjJugr6ecYrGwtc2gZKenp2K1qr%2BMsKCfnV2jsrV51qipraBf